This Thursday (7), Independence Day, supporters and members of popular organizations marched in the center of São Paulo (SP) to demand the right to food, decent housing, work, health and education.
The act is part of the 29th Cry of the Excluded, a traditional manifestation of a movement linked to the left-wing camp that has been taking place for almost 30 years across the country, always on the 7th of September holiday.
At Praça da Sé, a breakfast with homeless people started the mobilization in the capital. The crowd headed to Avenida Paulista, walking to Ibirapuera Park.
:: Cry of the Excluded and the Excluded has events in all regions of the country this September 7th; see images ::
Shouting slogans, protesters called for “Bolsonaro in jail” for “four years of misgovernment” and emphasized the importance of occupying the streets, even under a federal government recognized as democratic by the movements.
“Our cry is a cry for justice, for all the cruelties committed by Bolsonaro. Even now, trying to resume social policies, we know that the situation in our country is one of lack of rights for those at the forefront”, said the president of PSOL in São Paulo, Débora Lima, who is also coordinator of the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST).
Maintain mobilization under the Lula government
Renato Freitas (PT-PR), state deputy in Paraná, participated in the Shout of the Excluded in São Paulo. He said that the city symbolizes, in an expanded form, the social problems of other capitals in Brazil, such as Curitiba (PR).
“This cry is to declare the independence of those who unfortunately do not have realized autonomy and citizenship. The response that comes from here (São Paulo) will necessarily impact other cities”, said the deputy.
:: “My voice was not silenced, it was amplified”, says Renato Freitas after victory in the STF ::
Freitas said that Lula’s election does not mean that the population should stop the mobilizations and highlighted the internal political contradictions of the federal government.
“A policy that is castellated, conciliatory, with those in power – Arthur Lira and others – is the policy that tends to the announced failure. And we are here announcing. Their victory is our defeat.”
Hungry of what?
Alfredina Neri belongs to the Flores Pela Democracia collective, which promotes political awareness activities in the streets and squares of the capital of São Paulo. She responded to the theme of this year’s mobilization, which is “What are you hungry and thirsty for?”
“We are hungry for justice, work, land, peace, health, shelter and education. The country is beginning to be rebuilt, but there is still a long way to go. Without the people’s participation, we are not going anywhere,” said Neri.
Monument to the Flag protected by the PM
On the way, protesters found the Monument to the Flags surrounded by a cordon made up of military police. The statue is a tribute to the São Paulo bandeirantes, the descendants of Europeans who traveled the country in search of gold and slaves in the colonial period.
During Cry of the Excluded, police protect statue that honors bandeirantes in SP / Lucas Weber
A protester joked over the loudspeaker: “they blocked the Monument of Flags. I do not know why. We’ve been coming here for over 20 years and we’ve never taken the horses away.”
In 2021, protesters set fire to the statue of the bandeirante Borba Gato, in the south of São Paulo, with the aim of sparking critical debate regarding the effects of colonialism in Brazil.
Suplicy defends basic income and says he sent a letter to Lula
At 82 years old, state deputy Eduardo Suplicy (PT-SP) also attended the event. He defended the encouragement of family farming and spoke about universal basic income, a banner he defended for more than three decades.
:: Universal Basic Income is within our reach ::
Suplicy said he is awaiting a response from the Lula government to a letter of demands sent by him, in which he defends the guarantee of social rights and calls for the implementation of basic income.
“May we stimulate cooperative forms of production with microcredit and improving Bolsa Família income transfers until we reach the basic income of citizenship, the inalienable right of every person”, stated the deputy.
Editing: Geisa Marques
